Can't Make It Alone
by Red Ranger Kei
Summary: When Philip's anxieties start to get the better of him, Shotaro doesn't mind taking the chance to prove he can be the logical one when necessary. Set between ep41-42/Jewel Dopant arc, spoilers through ep40/Gene Dopant arc. Ambiguous Shotaro/Philip.


******Authorly preamble or something:** Set between episode 41 and 42 (Jewel Dopant arc), **SPOILERS **up through episode 40 (Gene Dopant arc). Whether this is a pairing fic is really up to how you read it; to me it's just meant to be bromance but you can feel free to interpret it as you like. :)**  
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**Can't Make It Alone**

"Philip?"

"Hmm...?"

"Hey, Philip."

Philip started, shaking himself slightly. His eyes were wide but he looked more than half asleep. "What is it, Shotaro?"

"I can't concentrate with you staring at me like that." Shotaro squinted moodily at his typewriter, then leaned to one side to flip on the desk lamp. Shifting in his seat, he looked back to Philip, who was sitting on the other side of the desk with his legs pulled up to his chest. "Cut it out, okay?"

"Ah, sorry." Philip rubbed his eyes, stifling a yawn, and took his time looking around the cluttered desk before finally looking back at Shotaro.

Shotaro attempted to continue typing his report but soon stopped again, sighing. "Okay, even _I _don't think I'm all that interesting right now. What's going on?"

Philip cleared his throat, resting his chin on his knees and quickly looking back to the clutter. "You underestimate yourself, you're very interesting." He stifled another yawn.

"You're acting weird," Shotaro accused, adjusting the lamp. "Like, weirder than usual. If you're bored and tired, then go to sleep. It's late anyway."

Philip lowered his head until only his eyes were visible over his knees and cast a baleful look over toward the door to the garage. "Yeah, soon."

Shotaro settled back in his seat, looking from Philip to the typewriter and back again. "Does this have something to do with Wakana?" he asked after a brief pause, his tone careful as if testing the waters.

Philip slid his hands up over his eyes, covering the rest of his face. "Of course not, don't be absurd," he muttered, voice muffled.

"Don't try lying, you're terrible at it," Shotaro admonished, satisfied with the reaction; he grabbed his fedora off the desk and pulled it down over his eyes. "Nobody would've thought she could just turn up in the Gaia Library, that'd be enough to freak anybody out."

"I'm not scared to go to sleep, if that's what you're implying," Philip mumbled.

"Okay, so what's up, then?" Shotaro asked, tenting his fingers patiently as he peered out from under the brim of his hat.

Philip turned away, frowning doubtfully. "I don't want to go out into the garage alone," he admitted. He looked back to Shotaro, frown deepening to a somewhat confused pout. "It doesn't make any logical sense."

Shotaro propped one elbow on the desk and smiled faintly, leaning his chin on his hand. "I know you like logic, but if you try to apply it to _feelings _you're just going to give yourself a headache."

"Well I guess you would know, Mr. _Half-boiled_," Philip remarked. His face was still mostly hidden but the ghost of a smile showed briefly in his eyes. "It's not as if Wa— as if she's going to turn up out of thin air, but..."

"But a couple of days ago it would've seemed impossible for her to turn up in the Gaia Library too," Shotaro finished for him, adding quickly, "not that I'm saying that makes it any more likely she'll spontaneously turn up or the garage is any more of a death trap than it usually is."

"It's irrational," Philip grumbled, yawning.

"Better get used to it." Shotaro shrugged. "Feelings can be pretty annoying, but you can't exactly reason them into submission."

"Mhmm." Philip folded his arms around his legs. Propping his chin on his knees, he resumed staring forlornly at Shotaro.

Shotaro in turn resumed typing, managing several more lines before hitting the end of the page. Removing the page from the typewriter, he looked over to Philip and sighed. He stood enough to lean across the desk and drop his fedora onto Philip's head. "Why don't you go lie down?" He pointed to his bed across the room, half visible behind the partly drawn curtain. "I still have some work to do here, so I can keep an eye out for dangerous local celebrities, Dopants, boogiemen, the Easter Bunny, Akiko..."

Philip continued staring, his expression turning to one of contemplation, then guarded acceptance. He nodded slowly. "Thanks, Shotaro." He placed the fedora back on the desk and shuffled to Shotaro's bed, his sleepiness rendering him unsteady on his feet. He laid down facing the wall, leaving the curtain partly open and himself half visible.

Feeding a new page into the typewriter, Shotaro resumed typing. Barely visible in his peripheral vision, the silhouette of Philip's shoulder rose and fell in a steady rhythm, slowing gradually. The rapid tapping of Shotaro's typing slowed with it, falling into time with the barely audible sound of Philip's breathing. A good ten minutes passed before his keystrokes faltered and he found himself stifling an unexpected yawn. He cast an accusing look in Philip's direction as if to suggest his yawns had turned out to be contagious, but decided to let it go. He returned his attention to the typewriter, contemplating. The report wasn't done, but neither was the case; he'd said about all there was to say for the time being.

Standing, he stretched his arms over his head before grabbing his hat off the desk. He crossed the room as quietly as he could manage and hung it on the back of the door to the garage, then stood before it, squinting critically. After a long moment of contemplation, he pushed the door open and walked in slowly. It was as still and silent as he'd expected, with nothing out of place as far as he could tell. All the same, for the first time Shotaro found the sheer size of the room somewhat disarming. He made sure to close the door softly when he left.

Taking the opportunity to demonstrate some extra vigilance in his security, Shotaro opened the front door next. Sticking his head out, he found it as dark and quiet as he could hope. He shot a threatening look out into the darkness, then swiftly closed and locked the door securely and stifled another yawn. Walking back over to his desk, he removed the unfinished page from the typewriter and switched the desk lamp off before removing his shoes, lining them up beside the desk.

Doing his best to avoid disturbing Philip, Shotaro laid down on the bed facing out into the room, several inches of space between his back and Philip's. The curtain was still open enough for him to have a clear view out into the office, though the darkness prevented him from seeing much.

"Hey, Shotaro..." Philip's voice was muffled and thick with sleep.

"Don't worry, the coast is clear," Shotaro replied. "I can still keep an eye on the office from here, now get some sleep."

Philip shifted his weight, his back pressing briefly against Shotaro's. "Thanks, Shotaro."


End file.
